Chapter 9
1275 Words
Avery’s POV
As the group walked through the thick forest, the air felt strange. I looked straight ahead, pretending not to notice the frequent sidelong glances Jameson was throwing in my direction.
The others around us were whispering among themselves. It wasn’t difficult to feel the rising discomfort as the shadows seemed to grow longer by the minute.
Amelia fell in step beside me, her face white and drawn. “Avery,” she said, leaning closer, “I don’t like this. There’s something…off about this place.”
I nodded, speaking below my regular level. “Stay close to me. Trust no one, least of all those who appear too self-assured.”
In front of us, some of the more aggressive students, led by Sheila, barked orders and pointed along various paths. Sheila was clearly trying to assert herself as leader of the group.
“We don’t have all day to be wasting on this!” Sheila snapped. “If any of you can’t keep up, just go back and cry to the Alpha. The rest of us have work to do.”
I could feel Jameson watching from afar, his arms crossed and a smirk on his face as Sheila attempted – and failed – to wrangle the group.
“Good,” he said. “I respect your fire, but this is not the moment for your typical obstinacy.”
“Think she’ll last?” Flair’s voice snapped me back to reality.
Jameson didn’t look back at Flair; he waited while staring at me. “She will outlast everyone in here, whether they realize it or not.”
Hearing him made me smile to myself, daring not to let it show. Flair snorted. “You’re biased.”
Jameson’s smirk widened. “Maybe. Or maybe I just know her better than anyone.”
I watched Flair roll his eyes but say no more. I found Sheila’s voice grating on my nerves, but I held my tongue.
Instead, I went to Jameson, who was hanging out by a tree with Flair. “If you’re going to just stand there and not help her,” I said, crossing my arms, “you could at least keep her from taking us into a death trap.”
His eyebrows shot up, and for a second, I thought he was going to laugh. “Is that concern I hear?”
“Don’t flatter yourself. You’ll just make this whole mess worse if you die.”
He pushed away from the tree and stepped closer, his smirk never changing. “Noted. I’ll still be alive just for you.”
“Don’t bother.”
The others were arguing about which way to go. Amelia pulled at the sleeve of my jacket, her eyes wide with concern. “What if we split up?” she suggested.
“Bad idea,” I replied right away. “Strength in numbers.”
But it appeared that I was in the minority. Sheila’s composure gave off a restless vibe, and I could sense she was losing patience.
The group was a tangle of indecision, and I could tell that nothing would happen if no one took the lead immediately.
“We’re wasting time!” Sheila barked. “We should split up. Cover more ground.”
Not everyone agreed. I stood my ground on it being a bad idea, but only a few stood with me.
“Fine!” Sheila shouted. “You all should bicker. When I find the treasure, I'll show you all who the true leader is.”
Before I could argue anymore, the group had already begun to split. Sheila took a few students down one path, while another smaller group went in the opposite direction.
“I guess we’re the ones remaining,” Amelia muttered while we were standing in the clearing with Jameson, Flair, and some others.
“Perfect,” I muttered back.
Jameson stepped forward, his face tight with sudden seriousness. “We stick together. No splitting up, no wandering away. Got it?”
I started to mouth the words of a protest, but the look in his eyes silenced me. He wasn’t asking.
“Fine,” I said grudgingly.
The further we dove into the woods, the more we began to panic. The gnarled branches of the trees twisted, closing in on us.
Flair attempted to lighten the mood, making jokes that landed with a thud in the stifling silence. Amelia clung to me, her arm incidentally wandering into mine every few moments like she needed a tether.
And Jameson…Jameson was just Jameson. Quiet, observing, always one move ahead.
It wasn’t long before we encountered something that stopped the whole group dead in its tracks. Jameson was the one who noticed the markings carved into the tree trunks – ancient symbols twinkling in the shadows.
He recognized a few of them from the ancient books he said his dad stashed in a cupboard—bits of warning, bits of protection.
“What is this?” I asked, almost in a whisper.
“Witchcraft,” Jameson responded grimly.
The others looked at one another uncertainly. Flair moved closer to the tree and ran his fingers across one of the symbols.
“Looks not so threatening,” he said.
Before he could say more, the earth beneath us trembled. The earth shook, and there was a low ominous drone.
My heart pounded as I recoiled, grasping Amelia’s arm to balance her. “What did you do?” I glared at Flair, who seemed as startled as the rest of us.
“It wasn’t me!” he protested.
Jameson took a step forward, his voice even yet authoritative. “Everyone, stay close. And do not touch anything else.”
I hated the way he took the reins so effortlessly, but I was too frightened to dispute him at that moment.
The humming grew louder, and a ray of light opened up. I held on to Amelia’s hand, my mind racing.
Whatever was going on, it wasn’t good. Jameson’s voice rose above the clamor. “Move. Now.”
We rushed to leave the clearing, only to find a figure standing in the shadows. Tall and cloaked, surrounded by dark energy.
“Leaving so soon?” the voice dripped with malice.
As our eyes locked, my blood ran cold. The figure stepped forward, its presence suffocating.
“Who are you?” Jameson demanded, his knife at the ready.
The figure didn’t respond. Instead, it raised its hand, and the air seemed to ripple with dark power.
“Run,” Jameson whispered, grabbing my arm.
We sprinted through the forest, the darkness closing in around us. I didn’t dare look back.
The trees blurred together as we ran, the only sound the pounding of our feet and the rustling of leaves.
Suddenly, Jameson yanked me to the side, and we ducked behind a tree.
“What—” I started to ask, but he silenced me with a look.
We waited, holding our breath, as the figure passed by, its dark energy lingering in the air.
When it was safe, Jameson nodded, and we continued running.
We didn’t stop until we were sure we’d lost the figure. Breathless and exhausted, we leaned against a tree.
“What was that?” Amelia asked, her voice shaking.
Jameson’s expression was grim. “I don’t know, but we need to get out of here. Now.”
We raced to leave the clearing only to find a figure standing in the shadow. Tall and cloaked and surrounded by dark energy.
“Leaving so soon?” the voice drips with malice, the figure said.
As our eyes locked, my blood ran cold.
- Writer
